Germany sees progress in EU ban on fossil fuel cars

German Ministry of Transport said on Monday talks with the European Commission to end production of combustion engines by 2035 are progressing, as it did not specify when exactly an agreement can be reached.

The European Parliament, the European Union member states, and the Commission agreed last year, after months of ongoing negotiations, to a law requiring new cars sold in the EU starting 2035 to have zero CO2 emissions.

This makes it impossible to sell cars with combustion engines starting from that date.

However, Germany declared a last minute opposition this month, saying that it wants sale of cars with internal combustion engines to still be allowed after that date, with the condition that they run on e-fuels.

According to Reuters, a spokesman for the ministry said “there are positive trends that are a good basis for further talks,”

The ministry proposed that the Commission should provide a new category of vehicles that run on e-fuels only.

However, the EU climate policy chief, Frans Timmermans, said that once an agreement on a law has been reached between EU countries and the European Parliament, all sides must respect it.

“At the same time, we have to make sure that the interpretation of that agreement people give is also something we can agree upon. And this is an ongoing conversation we are having with the German authorities right now,” said Timmermans

In November, an EU official said that member states were told that the Commission might make a proposal on registering a category for cars that run on e-fuels after 2035, but that will only be after the CO2 law for cars is adopted.